Cleaning your make up sponges and brushes regularly is very important since they can easily gather dirt, sebum, old make up and bacteria from each use. And every time you use them again, you're reapplying all those nasty stuff on your face.

Since I regularly clean my brushes and sponges, buying brush cleaners would be too costly for me. I have never bought any brush cleaner in my life since I I discovered this method of cleaning and disinfecting my make up brushes. I just didn't feel the need to spend a lot of money since this method is already effective enough in cleaning my brushes.

I've tried other methods before like using baby shampoo, regular bar of soap but I find this method to be the best in getting rid of all traces of make up (especially the stubborn foundation residue).

To clean my brushes I use:

an antibacterial dishwashing liquid

extra virgin olive oil

small bowl

Depending on how many brushes I have to clean, my ratio is usually 1:2 tbsp (oil:diswashing liquid). I dip my brush in the mixture making sure that it touches both the oil and dishwashing liquid. Then I swirl the bristles against my hand, then rinse it with water.

The dishwashing liquid is the key to cleaning your brushes and getting rid of all the gunk stuck in the bristles (same way it's effective in cleaning and removing gunk from our plates). Choosing an antibacterial one disinfects it at the same time. On the other hand, the olive oil conditions your brushes since the soap can strip all the moisture away from your bristles.

Once your brushes are squeaky clean, make sure you dry them the proper way (standing or slanted). This ensures that your bristles won't fall off and last longer.

Let me know if you have other effective affordable methods in cleaning your make up brushes and how often do you clean them?

I have extremely dry lips. The kind of lips wherein lip balms aren't enough. It also doesn't help that I have a bad habit of not drinking enough water. I'm trying to drink more but it's just a little hard to drink enough. Typical ol' me I decided to search for a band-aid-type remedy for my chapped lips dilemma. I already have tons of lip balms but I needed a good lip scrub.

Ingredients list of the product

I came across this lip mask on YesStyle.com and got curious about this Bubble Lip Mask. I have never tried one before and since it was only AU$9.61, I decided to purchase it.

Product claims:Our Lip Mask features soft micro bubbles that gently remove dead skin cells from your lips to moisturize and smoothen your lips. This product is good for 6 mos upon opening.How To Use:1. Take an appropriate amount and apply throughout your lips.2. Wait two or three minutes until sufficient bubbles come up.3. Once your lips bubble up, massage your lips gently.4. Wipe off with tissue or water.

Here's what the product looks like:

It has a slightly yellow tinge to it and has a foamy consistency. It also has a slight banana scent to it.Does it work?I have to admit that I have fun every time I use. The bubbly sensation on my lips feels a little tingly and weird. It foams up a few seconds after I apply it on my lips. Leave it longer and more bubbles will be formed.

However, its effects is mediocre. It does leave my lips slightly more hydrated and smooth but not as much exfoliated as I expected it to be. If you want exfoliation, get a lip scrub but if you like having fun with your skin care, try this one.If you're interested in trying this product. click on this link.

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It's officially Spring here in Australia. Flowers are blooming, spring outfits are in and it's time to whip out my go-to Spring lippies. Here are the lippies that I have been abusing lately.

1. Too Faced Melted Matte Liquid Lipstick in Sellout (AU$ 30) - It is described as a pink-y brown shade. This is my fave lippie ever. I wear it all the time regardless of the season. It's the perfect nude lippie for my skin tone. I love how comfortable and long-wearing it is. I also love that it is almost smudge-proof once it completely sets. It has survived drinks and meals on my lips. It's a very reliable for me.

2. Colourpop Ultra Satin Liquid Lipstick in Calypso (US$6) - It is a mid-tone pink which is a really good nude shade for my skin tone. Compared to Sell Out, this is slightly darker. I love how opaque it is and that it doesn't feel drying as much as the matte ones. And for its price, it's definitely a must-have.

3. Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creams (AU$12.95) - Who hasn't tried these? I did a review of these lippies way back in 2012. I deleted it because it was so yonks ago and used ancient digital camera. I compared it against Nyx Xtreme Lip Cream which I don't see anymore.

swatches

I think it's brilliant how they used world cities for their name shades. They also probably have the most extensive range of shades in the drugstore. For Spring I love using Addis Ababa (my 3rd tube) and Morocco. Addis Ababa is a bright fuchsia color while Morocco is a matte coral orange. I wear these lippies everytime I'm in the mood for a bright pop of colour.4. Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment (AU$38) - I did a review of this lippie on a previous blog post. For its price, I'm a little disappointed that it doesn't really fulfil its claims. However, I really like the opacity and intensity of these lippies. For Spring, instead of wearing traditional red lippies, I reach out for Light My Fire, which is a gorgeous vivid orange shade.5. Lipsmacker in Fanta Grape flavor - I forgot how much this costs. On days when I don't put on make up, I love using this lip balm. It has a nice, sweet fruity taste and smell to it that I think is just perfect for Spring.

So that's it for my go-to Spring lippies. Have you tried any of these lippies? I like to know what your fave lippies are atm.

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I accidentally discovered this hack when I was rushing to do my face and I only had time for concealer and brows. Without further ado, here's the hack:

Let your concealer sit on your face for around 15-30 secs before blending it with a damp sponge or brush. Letting it sit longer seems to help the concealer hide my dark circles and blemishes better than immediately blending it.

"Looking for a carefree matte? Look no further. This innovative pigment concentrate provides bold colour with a zero-gravity feel."

"Prepare for all day, flexible wear in a lust-worthy range of smudge-resistant liquid shades. The custom doe-foot applicator allows for precise application and full coverage in one swipe, drying down instantly to create an ultra-lightweight, effortless matte finish."

- Mecca.com

I've always gravitated towards matte lipsticks because of their long-wearing properties. I just like the idea of slapping on something and then forgetting about it the entire day. When I saw that Nars released these matte lipsticks, I just got to try it. I ordered mine from Mecca.com and bought 2 shades: Starwoman and Light My Fire. Each lipsticks costs AU$ 38.

It comes in a sleek, black plastic tube and has a slim, doe-foot applicator. The applicator helps a lot in precision application.

My degree is in Psychology and not Chemistry so for the Chemists out there, please let me know what these ingredients are for. I know that it has a strong Vanilla scent to it and therefore fragrance would be included in its ingredients. It seems to include some silicone and preservatives as well.

Top: Starwoman ; Bottom: Light My Fire

This lippie is made in Italy. Each tube stays good for 24 mos upon opening and contains 5.5 ml of product.

Starwoman is described as a vivid blue red while Light My Fire is a vivid orange red. This lippie has a very watery consistency. It kinda reminds me of a more opaque version of lip tints, a very opaque one.

Top: Starwoman ; Bottom: Light My Fire

The watery consistency of the product has its pros and cons. The benefit would be it dries quickly. Mine dries completely within a minute. The bad thing though is that it is patchy when applied. The patchiness is quite obvious with the swatches above.

This lippie claims to be smudge-resistant but as you can see from above, it isn't. The swatches above have been dry for like 30 minutes before I smudged it and it did. I kissed the back of my hand and it transferred as well.

However, it does stay true to its ultra lightweight, zero-gravity feel claim. Like I said, this lippie is like a more opaque version of a lip tint (and a more expensive one too).

It looks good for hours, possibly an entire day until mealtime. Since it transfers, after eating I always have to retouch. The problem with retouching is that it doesn't layer on quite well so I have to remove it completely before applying it again.

I think this is a really good lippie and will definitely try out more shades. However, I wish they can tweak the formulation a little more and make it smudge-proof. That's my only gripe with this lippie otherwise it can easily be my HG matte lippie.

Have you tried this lippie? What are your HG matte liquid lipsticks?

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